Red Light Cameras

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Driving through Tucson can be either a joy or a horrible hassle. A situation that occurs again and again is when a driver approaches a stop light, and continues through it instead of waiting.

At many major intersections there is a device that captures the driver’s license plate as the car passes through. The question is whether it really is important to even have these red light cameras placed on the streets of Tucson.

As explained on www.smartmotorist. com, more than 800 people die in a year due to red light runners, and more than 200,000 injuries occur in Tucson.

A red light camera is a type of traffic enforcement device that captures an image of a vehicle which has entered an intersection in spite of the traffic signal indicating red. The camera then begins to zoom toward the license plate and captures the photo. The driver will then receive a ticket with a hefty fine due to failing to stop at a red light.

As reported in June on Kvoa.com, “Over the last several months, there have been 55,000 votes toward banning the red light cameras.” Also, according to ABC News, “Arizona as a whole has the highest rate of accidents due to running the red light; the city with the highest rate is Phoenix, Ariz.”

Nick Andreachi, a sophomore, said, “The City of Tucson should not ban red light cameras, due to the fact that it helps prevent drivers from disobeying the rules of the road.”

Alternately, Sam Wisdom, also a sophomore, questioned the value of the cameras, “To be honest, what is the point of putting red cameras on the road? Because at the end of the day those who run the red lights still end up running the red light.”